Joey and Sandra’s Guide to Where to Go, What to See, & What to do in… Hawaii!

Not going to lie; we are friggin’ sick of the winter!  Since when did NY become a wintery hell! The occasional snow storm was nice, but now we are on Snow storm 4 or 5 and it’s ridiculous! You look out the window and you feel claustrophobic!  It probably won’t melt until at least April. Regardless, this is the perfect time for us to plan our vacation.  What better way to motivate ourselves than snow.  (Sandra- I just ordered my “inspirational bathing suit” to keep my ass going to the gym.  Try my trick…it works. That swimsuit will motivate me daily lol).  We LOVE to travel. Nothing beats gorgeous beaches, sun, and cultures other than your own.  While we are looking to go away to a tropical island this year for our 1 year anniversary (Can’t believe June is 5 months away), we tend to reflect a little on the other wonderful places we have been to.  By the way, if you have ever been to Aruba, Bahamas, St.Lucia, or St.Thomas, let us know where you stood and what you thought.  Those are our top contenders right now.

We travel every year for the sake of our sanity. New York is a great state to live in; you can go to Manhattan, the Hamptons, beaches galore etc, but this fast pace atmosphere can really beat you up a little bit. So when planning a vacation, we put it all out there.  And we travel to places that interest us.  We love beaches, sun, heat, culture, and endless amounts of fun.  

We plan our next vacation like clock work after New Years.  We have been to some seriously amazing places, and the experiences we’ve had were unbelievable.   Over the next few weeks, we are showcasing some of our top picks for Vacation Destinations, especially for couples. (Joey-So you know Sandra tends to really educate herself on her surroundings, so look for tidbits of history and facts about all of these locations within this blog.) We think this will help you when you’re planning your next vacation or honeymoon.  We’ll even share candid photos and videos with you! Speaking of honeymoon, we decided that the best way to start is with the best trip of our lives… Hawaii.

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 states, having joined us in 1959. What makes this state so unique is that it is made up of several Islands, with its capital in Honolulu.  We traveled to only 2 out of the handful; Maui and Kauai.  We hear Oahu is really great too, but for this trip, we had 2 weeks and after researching, decided Maui and Kauai were the islands we really wanted to visit.   Check out http://www.gohawaii.com/ for more information (this website was very helpful when we planned our honeymoon.)Week 1: Kaanapali Beach, Maui

Hotel- Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa http://maui.hyatt.com  Maui (or the magical isle) is the second largest Island in Hawaii, with its lush rainforest, waterfalls and really amazing craters caused by Volcanoes. In fact they have a famous volcano on the Island, Haleakalā, which experts say is dormant for now. The weather in Maui is pretty much in the high 80’s to 90’s for the most part, with the night’s cooler due to the ocean breeze.

Joey and Sandra’s Guide to Where to Go, What to See, & What to do in Maui 

1)      You must try Butter Fish.  It is the most incredible thing you will ever taste.  Imagine something as savory as a fine piece of steak combined with the succulence of a truly amazing piece of king crab.  That’s butter fish.  It melts off your tongue and you can not get it anywhere but Hawaii. Unless it’s imported from there but it won’t be the same.  The best butterfish we had was at Sansei’s Seafood Restaurant in Kaanapali. Try it once, and you will be ordering more than one.  Oh yeah, thank you, Guy Fereti, for that recommendation.

2)      Sushi in Hawaii is amazing. Maui and Kauai both had its fair share of amazing sushi. We are connoisseurs of sushi; we eat it once a week.  The best sushi we had, once again, was at Sansei’s Seafood Restaurant.  Insert the “Oh My God” here.  The fish was fresh, and since we had a fantastic waiter, we were able to really sample what the locals considered their favorites.  Tuna is abundant in Hawaii.  Toro, which is the belly of the Tuna, is DELICIOUS. TIP: When going to Sansei’s or any restaurant, make it a point to ask the staff what they like.  Chances are it will be pretty tasty. http://www.sanseihawaii.com

3)      Shaved Ice is very popular in Hawaii.  It’s a snow cone. But since it’s hot, shaved ice is very refreshing. 

4)      Go to Whalers Village. It has a ton of shopping and restaurants in Maui, and is surrounded by resorts like the Hyatt, Westin, and Marriot etc. Whalers Village is actually the prime location for whale watching supposedly, and they have exquisite sunsets. However it is very active with shops and restaurants. Tip from Sandra: Ladies, they have a kiosk there that sells the most beautiful sarongs, so stop by and take a look. I purchased a black and white one and wore it everyday over my swimsuits.  They show you a ton of ways to wear it and it was worth every penny. http://www.whalersvillage.com 5)      Be ready to spend money in Maui.  It’s commercialized. For example, the first thing you see when entering Whalers Village is Louis Vuitton.  Tourism is one of the major industries for Hawaii (agriculture is the other), especially in Maui.  All Inclusive resorts are non existent in the United States, so expect to spend money on food and drinks.  The best thing to do is bring a box of granola bars for snacks and stop at a convenience store for bottle water.

6)       SPF is needed in Hawaii.  You will burn.  You have been warned.  (We never burn and Joey blistered.)

7)      Maui is the place to catch an authentic Luau. “Drums of the Pacific” is the best one on the island of Maui.  Packed with culture, drinks (all included in your price) and Polynesian food, you really can’t go wrong.  http://drumsofthepacific.com/ The feast includes a roasted pig, (Joey- When they pulled it from the ground, the pig is a little concaved, and as they passed us, Sandra couldn’t look at it. It made her gag lol), traditional Polynesian food, like Poi (we’ll get to that in a minute), fresh fish (like mahi mahi), amazing fresh fruit, poke (yum!) and so much more.  Traditional songs and dances entertain you for the remainder of your evening. TIP from Joey-Try to get seating closer to the stage.  It’s worth it. You are served first and you interact more with the performers.  If you’re not the type to be the center of attention, than try not to make to much eye contact with the “warriors”. I learned that the hard way…lol.8)      Do take a helicopter tour to check out the Rainforest, Waterfalls and the Road to Hana.  The Road to Hana is a friggin’ long drive and unless you enjoy wasting a day driving on a windy road, we suggest the helicopter tour instead.  Helicopters are very different than planes (Sandra- in my opinion, I think they are worse than planes…I hate flying…) so be ready for nose dives and hovering.  BUT get your cameras ready for the most amazing rainforest, waterfalls and volcanic craters you will ever see.  It’s insane to go through clouds and see rain in one area and sun in another. Or reach the highest elevations of the mountains. You develop a new appreciation towards nature. It’s really quite beautiful and breathe taking.

9)      TIP: You will need rental cars for both islands. We made the mistake of getting a convertible Mustang rental in Maui. It made us stand out, like the obvious Tourist mobile.  Want our opinion? Don’t rent a mustang. Get the Jeep instead. There are penguins in Hawaii!  Did you know that penguins don’t necessarily need it to be cold to survive? Just a diet of fish. And they do waddle. Sandra almost kidnapped one of them.

10)  Ladies- do wear a flower in your hair. TIP: Wear a flower on the Left side to show you are married or taken, or wear it on the right side to indicate you are single. Look for gardenias, plumerias or a hibiscus to wear.

11)  Poi does not taste very good. Grant it, Poi is the staple for the Polynesian diet, made up of Corn and Taro Plant, and it looks interesting… like yogurt…but its sour.  However, be open to new things and try it.  Believe it or not, in the Polynesian culture, it’s sacred. So respectably try it and move on.

Joey and Sandra’s Top Restaurants and Lounges in Maui:

1)      Sansei’s Seafood Restaurant- Kapalua Resort (808)669-6286 http://www.sanseihawaii.com  – Sushi, Butter Fish

2)      Cane and Taro- Whaler’s Village (808) 662-0668 http://www.caneandtaro.com – Sushi, especially Tuna

3)      Hula Grill- Whaler’s Village (808) 667-6636 – http://www.hulagrillkaanapali.com/  - Drinks and snacks

4)      Son’z Maui Wine Cellar  (808) 667-4506 http://www.hyattregencymaui.com/lounges-bars – Steak, ask for wine list too

5)      ‘Ūmalu (808) 661-1234 http://www.hyattregencymaui.com/lounges-bars – Fish Taco! Pineapple Mojitos

 Week 2: Koloa, Kauai

Hotel- Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa- http://kauai.hyatt.com

Kauai is the oldest and most romantic of the Hawaiian Islands.  It is the home of the Na Pali Coast, which is a cinematic threshold of movie history, providing vivid backgrounds for films like Jurassic Park, Tropic Thunder, The King Kong remake, Pirates of the Caribbean, to name a few.  Kauai also has some of the roughest yet captivating waters we have ever encountered.  But we tell everyone… Kauai was by the far the BEST Island we have ever been too. And we would go back tomorrow if we could. It’s worth the 10 hour plane ride! This is the number one Honeymoon Location in the world. Kauai is paradise.  If you can afford only to do one island for your honeymoon, than do Kauai. 

Joey and Sandra’s Guide to Where to Go, What to See, & What to do in Kauai:

1)      Stay at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa. This is the best hotel on the island, let alone any island we have been too.  Not only is the service impeccable, but the sites are astounding.  They have their own Salt water lagoon within the resort, and twisting, winding pool.  We tell people all the time that this resort is by far worth the investment.  They cater more to Honeymooners than you can ever imagine.  We were upgraded upon arriving to an Ocean view suite; they gave us a big bottle of champagne, chocolates every night, a special honeymoon dinner, the works really. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable of the island.  You need to stay here.  It was that wonderful.

2)      Precede this next tip with a little caution. Remember when we said the waters were the roughest we have ever seen? Well, believe it.  The ocean here produces the most powerful waves we have ever encountered (and there wasn’t even a storm at sea).  We literally starred at the ocean and couldn’t get over the force it had.  Red flags are constantly up, but that doesn’t stop people…including us.  We had to see for ourselves how powerful these waves were. Sure enough, it beat us at our own game, bullied us, and we decided to just watch it instead.  We strongly suggest that you do not swim in these waters, especially when the red flag is up. Joey- Don’t believe it? Well, I thought it would be fun to go into these crazy waters, but learned real quickly that it was a mistake. Yet it was extremely fun, considering I had a few drinks before lol. Once you started walking out, the waves would crash into you, knocking you back towards the beach and than the undertow sucked you right back out in to the water.  This was constant; as soon as you got up, it hit you again.  After the fifth time of this happening, and hitting a few underwater rocks, we decided to get out but as I was trying to get up for the last time, I couldn’t help noticing the crashing waves pulled down Sandra’s top to her bathing suit. Lucky for us, at that time, we were the only idiots in the water. Very funny, wish I had a camera…

3)      However, there is only one way to really enjoy and take in the Na Pali Coast, and yes, it’s by sea.  Take a catamaran along the coast, and enjoy the view.  TIP: The water is very choppy so make it a point NOT to hang out in the boat’s cabin and put yourself out on the deck of boat. If you stay in the cabin, expect to get sick and throw up. There is nothing worse for you than that.  We took a sunset boat ride, which lasted 5 hours, and the views were unforgettable.  And the best part was the Dolphins!   They come right up to the boat and swim along side, almost as if they are posing for pictures!  They are 100% wild, but are known to be the most human friendly creatures in the wilderness.  

4)      Art is very popular, it seems, in Kauai. We visited numerous art galleries in the Poipu Shopping Village.  We came very close to purchasing 2 rather enticing paintings, but once it dawned on us how expensive it was to actually send these painting across the country, we declined.  The best part is most of the paintings are done by local artist.

5)      Do enjoy the seafood and fresh produce from the land.  We found a few great restaurants, like Josselin’s Tapas Bar and Grill that really capture this essence. They harvest all of their goods from farms located around them. And it’s organic. We went here based on a recommendation from one of the bartenders at our resort, and he said to make sure we sample their sangria, which is brought to you on a push cart with several varieties -Sandra- you have no idea how GOOD it was until you sit there and sample each combination…http://josselins.com/

6)      Now, there is one thing you should know, that little gecko lizards are very common here.  Don’t get disgusted with them.  To be honest with you, they are harmless and quite comical. (Joey-For instance, while dining at a restaurant at the Kukuiula Village, we noticed that there was a rather chubby one chilling on the beams of the outdoor restaurant’s ceiling.  Sandra was in mid-conversation with the waiter when “splat”, the little chub-ster fell off and landed by Sandra’s feet. He got up, looked at us, and as if he were embarrassed, took off like a bolt of lightning. I can honestly say Sandra didn’t squirm or budge.  Or the best was when we were coming back from breakfast one morning, and of course I zero in on 2 of them getting it on in the hallway.  Whatever they must have been on their honeymoon too.)

7)      Sample the Beer of Hawaii! Joey had the chance to sample Hawaii’s beers, and here is a list to get you started: Primo is one of Hawaii’s top Beers and you can expect to see that on the mainland soon.  Long Board Island Lager comes in 4 flavors, with similarities to Blue Moon. Lets not forget Bikini Blonde and CoCoNut Porter (Joey’s least favorite). You just have to love the names lol

8)      While in Kauai, we spoke to a local who told us that their secret to deep tans was a little product called Maui Babe. What’s ironic is we purchased and used Maui Babe only in Kauai.  With its coffee bean scent, we were a little skeptical. It’s not very pleasant smelling going on.  But after lying out for a whole day, we were dark; Darker than usual.  Now, we swear by it. TIP: Like in Maui, wear sunscreen!  You can layer your sunscreen with this product. We should take stock in this product…http://www.mauibabe.com/

9)      Enjoy the Wildlife-We came across a lot of exotic animals, primarily birds, but the most entertaining was the Surfing Bird! Watch the video; we don’t need to explain. The Hawaiin Surfing Bird…when your tipsy, the strangest things will amuse you…

10)  Hawaii is home to tons of amazing food and goodies.  When you go, try to bring home their coffee (smooth and dark, yet with a nutty undertone), Mauna Loa macadamia nuts, Lava Salt, etc.  TIP: Foods that you don’t have home are always reminiscent of vacations, and if you are bringing home gifts for your family, share food rather than a statue or book.  They will appreciate it better. 

11)  We had the opportunity to stumble upon The Red Dirt Company (Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs paid a visit here too) while traveling to our catamaran ride.  This place is actually really interesting. This company took a negative (a hurricane in 1992 caused damage to their silk screen shop) and created a positive (red dirt and water ruined their white shirts, but behold… a new way to dye shirts! They took the shirts and printed on them sayings and Hawaiian prints. They became a hit with tourist and locals alike!). How’s that for inspiration? You can purchase shirts dyed with rich iron fortified Red Dirt soil of Kauai, and they come in an array of colors. Check them out http://www.dirtshirt.com  

12)  TIP: Make friends with everyone and take their recommendations.  You more than likely will have fun. We were able to go to 25th Annual Koloa Plantation Days festival while in Kauai.  We spoke to a few locals who told us to check it out.  We speak to locals as often as possible when we are away.  By speaking to them we were able to enjoy the festivities with everyone.  

Joey and Sandra’s Top Restaurants and Lounges in Kauai:

1)      Merriman’s Kauai at the Kukuiula Village (808) 742-8385 http://merrimanshawaii.com  - Organic Farm Goods

2)      Josselin’s Tapas Bar and Grill at the Kukuiula Village (808) 742-7117 http://josselins.com/ Sangria, Tuna Tartar, Poke

3)      Lappert’s Ice Cream & Coffee at the Kukuiula Village (808) 742-1272 http://www.lappertshawaii.com/ – Ice cream &coffee

4)      Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt (808-240-6456) http://kauai.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/restaurants – Prime Rib

5)      Stevenson’s Library at the Grand Hyatt http://kauai.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/lounges – Sushi & Cocktails

There is so much to do on the islands that we couldn’t write all of it. However, we suggest that you visit Tripadvisor.com for additional comments and tips from travelers that have been to these islands.  If you plan on going and want more information, write to us. We will be more than happy to help you plan accordingly. Next time, we break down Montego Bay, Jamaica.